


Comfort Bubble

by Kimmy



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Arc Reactor, Aromantic Loki (Marvel), Asexual Character, Asexual Loki (Marvel), Asexual Relationship, Asexual Tony Stark, Asexuality, Canon Divergence - Post-Avengers (2012), Getting Together, Good Loki (Marvel), Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, M/M, Mental Breakdown
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:53:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28459326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kimmy/pseuds/Kimmy
Summary: Tony is Loki's comfort bubble. Quite literally. If Loki steps out of it evil aliens mind control him. It gets awkward in bathrooms.
Relationships: Loki/Tony Stark
Comments: 15
Kudos: 116
Collections: Marvellous Aces Holiday Bingo 2020





	Comfort Bubble

**Author's Note:**

> Marvellous Aces Holiday Bingo 2020: square A1 "There was only one bed... and all they did was sleep"

"You're going to appeal to my humani--"

Loki chokes on his words, suddenly missing a step as he comes closer. The stumble makes his fall, the scepter falling out of his hand.

"Whoa, wait, what are you doing?"

Loki falls to his knees, now visibly gasping for air, and his hand fists itself in Tony's pantleg.

"Reindeer games... You're freaking me out."

He tries to take a step back, but the god's grip is unrelenting. Seeing Tony want to flee, he switches his hold, basically hugging the man's legs. His forehead is pressed against Tony's thighs, and he is shaking all over, and suddenly it sinks in for Tony... Whatever is happening, it is not part of the game. He gently pries Loki of himself, ignoring his protests, but he doesn't back away. Instead, he kneels in front of the god, only now seeing the way his face is tear streaked. But Loki doesn't look back at him. His eyes are fixated at Tony's reactor as he slowly catches longer breaths, visibly calms down. And then it's as if something flips back on like he only now remembers what's happening.

"The invasion." His words are frantic but not, Tony realizes, threatening. "The portal, we need to close the portal!"

Tony chooses not to question the god's sudden change of heart, instead, focusing on the problem at hand.

"Okay, how do we do that?"

Loki's gaze is still a bit unfocused, and he looks like a mess, the fact he was crying obvious on his face, but he doesn't let it stop him.

"The scepter. Take me to the roof. There's a failsafe built into the machine."

Gently, almost frighteningly, he lets go of Tony's hand and looks at the scepter.

"You take it."

"Okay..."

Tony only steps about two feet away in the direction of it when Loki groans, one hand flying to his head another to Tony's shoulder. He steps closer.

"The range isn't big. Give me your hand."

Tony takes it, and picks the specter with another hand, and walks them to the elevator and it sinks in. He realizes what's going on when he notices the way Loki's green eyes are fixated on his reactor. Loki's controlled too, like Clint, and Tony's inbuilt nightlight offers protection to Tony as well as those in his radius. Loki needs to stay close to him. The glowstick is also suddenly uncomfortably heavy in his hand, protection or not.

***

Tony is pissed and relieved and confused. WSC sent a nuke on Manhattan, which is bad. But Jarvis intercepted it and successfully nuked the wanna be invader (Loki says his name is Thanos) entrance with it. Which is good, because they are safe, for now at least. But by far not for good, as proven by the fact Tony still has a god of mischief on his shoulder. Afterwards, Tony proposes a team dinner in the last place standing in the rubble. The idea flops as quickly as it's born when Loki quietly and pleadingly asks not to see Thor. At first, Tony is confused because aren't they brothers? Then he remembers that Thor didn't even ask questions, just threw Loki out of a plane during their reunion. So he leaves distracting Thor to Natasha, and finds instant ramen in the cupboard, and makes himself and Loki a cup that they eat basically cuddled up on the sofa in the penthouse. It's a little peaceful moment in the eye of the storm.

Loki is interrogated while practically sitting in Tony's lap and subsequently found innocent. The formalities will be harder, but he is so heartbreakingly honest, scared, and forthcoming with every single bit of information he has no one even thinks to question it. That night they go to sleep together. Loki doesn't actually close his eyes for hours. He just stares at the literal shine of the heart of the man who saved him. Eventually, he falls asleep and doesn't dream for the first time in years. After two weeks Loki agrees to talk to Thor. It's a very weird and intrusive experience for Tony as he sits there while Thor and Loki cry while hugging each other. Thor leaves that evening, off to Asgard to find and kill Thanos. After a month, he reports all of the Black Order is dead, but the Other has escaped. They spend two more months joined at the hip before they learn how to break the Other's hold on Loki. All in all, it's three months filled with quiet evenings, awkward showers, and getting to know each other. And then the three months are over, and Loki no longer  _ needs  _ to sleep in Tony’s bed.

***

That afternoon, Thor reported that The Other was dead. Tonight, they could take a shower separately. With bated breath, Loki took a step away from Tony. And... nothing happened.

„Hey, Djali.”

Tony grinned. Loki sighed. He took to showing Loki Disney movies and calling him goat names after the god pointed out reindeer had antlers instead of horns. The point of not using nicknames at all was lost on Tony.

„You’re free.”

„I... I guess I am.”

„What you gonna do now?”

Loki took a moment, thought about it. Swallowed his nerves.

„In a rush to get rid of me?”

„No.” Tony sounded strangely calm and sincere rather than awkward. „Never. I mean, I guess if you want, I can set up the guest room until we make you your own space...”

„Or... I could stay where I was?”

Loki’s heart was beating fast. He wasn’t sure what he was doing, just that he wanted to stick around. Tony was his safe haven because of the reactor but somewhere along the way, between learning what instant noodles and crunchips were, and between movie nights and reading aloud, Tony became so much more.

„You could definitely stay where you were.”

Tony’s smile was bright and happy, and it made Loki’s heart skip a beat.

Still, he was quite happy to finally get a proper bath, alone.

Later, they crawled into bed together, faces turned towards each other, just like every night for the past three months, yet nothing like it. Strange awkwardness felt like miles between them.

„Lokes...” It was Tony who eventually broke the silence. „I like you.”

For the longest time, Loki didn’t say anything. When he finally broke the silence, his answer was barely audible, hesitant.

„I really like you too, Tony.” He bit his lower lip. „Should we like... kiss, now?”

Tony looked at him for a moment and then giggled nervously.

„Do we have to? I kind of don’t want to.”

Loki breathed a sigh of relief.

„I don’t want to, either.”

„I’m asexual.” Tony throws the word around casually, but it’s alien to Loki.

„What does that mean?”

„You guys don’t have that on Asgard? I thought since you’re not into kissing, and all... And you seemed to get the whole homo, bi and pan stuff easily.”

„Well, yes, I heard those before. But not asexual. Asexual people don’t like kissing?”

„Some of them.” Tony shrugs. „I don’t mind it but I don’t like it either. Asexual people aren’t sexually attracted to others. And aromantic people aren’t romantically attracted to others. Some of them still want sex or romance. Some don’t. I don’t really mind sex. I had sex in the past. But like... I don’t like it much? I don’t choose to have sex now that I know I don’t have to.”

Loki mulls over all this in his head. Tony’s eyes start to droop, his head falling onto Loki’s shoulder. He smiles, and whispers, not sure if Tony’s asleep yet.

„I think I’m it too.”

„Huh?” Tony lets out a grunt, but his eyes get focused.

„Asexual. I don’t want sex at all. And... I think I am aromantic? But I do want to be with you. And I like to sleep together, and cuddle sometimes, but I don’t like all that romance stuff? Like, hand holding, or kissing? Kissing seems kind of gross actually.

Tony chuckles at that.

„It really is gross. I’ve done it. I don’t recommend it.”

„But I do want to be with you. It’s just. It seems so weird, like, when people make romance to be thing big thing? Because I am your friend already. The only difference is that we live together and sleep together? And I always thought romance is just friendship with sex. But if we don’t have sex... then what is it?”

Tony’s smile turns gentler, more pensive. He props himself on one elbow and looks a Loki.

„Is can be whatever you want it to be. Do you like the idea of being aromantic?”

Loki thinks about it.

„I do. I like the idea of no expectations that come with it.”

„There. If you like being aro, you can be aro. And if we don’t want to call this thing romance, we don’t have to. It can just be called a relationship, whatever kind it is. Or we can just be Tony and Loki.”

Loki can’t help his grin at that.

„I like that. Let’s just be Tony and Loki.”

Tony leans down and kisses him on the forehead, and lays back down. And Loki closes his eyes and falls asleep thinking about how nice it feels. The idea that it’s normal, being like that, having a name for it, and at the same time, not having to name anything. Just being Loki, and having a Tony, and it is enough. He falls asleep smiling, and his forehead tingles pleasantly. 


End file.
